At the end of the hall in Ober Dormitory resides a rather unique campus figure. Mushroom Cat is a junior mycology major who brings a unique perspective to the Elizabethtown College campus. With her signature peace sign necklace and a classic “hippie” style, Mushroom Cat sticks out on her walks to class. Today our College paper is finally asking the all-important question: “Who is Mushroom Cat?” I sat down with Mushroom Cat for an exclusive interview to find out what life is like for a foraging feline in a human’s world.
“I feel like my peers are always asking me about how I ended up studying at Elizabethtown College. To be honest, I don’t entirely know how I ended up here myself! However, I’ve found a small-knit community of anthropomorphic domesticated animals and herbalists who really make this place feel like home.”
At first, Mushroom Cat struggled to fit in at Ober. But, with an extra dose of courage and optimism, Mushroom Cat found her way. She’s been so encouraged by her experience at Etown that she set up an account on TikTok to connect with other feline mycologists around the world! On her account, Mushroom cat shares short videos about cool mushrooms she finds and posts tutorials on cooking with mushrooms.
“Mushrooms get a bad rap, but I think people who don’t like mushrooms just haven’t found the right variety! There are tall mushrooms, short ones, poisonous ones and hairy ones. There are lots of different species to try; you only need to make sure you roast and season them correctly.”
She is also hosting a mushroom cooking event this May in the Bowers Center to share her tips and tricks with her fellow students. Space is limited and spots are filling up fast, so be sure to contact the Office of Student Activities promptly if you’d like to attend.
“That’s the thing about Elizabethtown. We really have something special here! I think some people tend to ignore us since we’re a relatively quiet school in rural Pennsylvania, but our community is incredibly uplifting. It makes me glad that my peers are willing to help make my dreams a reality. The campus facilities staff even lets me go foraging for mushrooms around our composting pile and in the dumpsters,” she said. Mushroom Cat is also an avid environmentalist and hopes to raise awareness in the community about issues of sustainability and fungi extinction.
Mushroom Cat’s ideal next step for Etown is the establishment of a student-run greenhouse facility for the growth and research of unique fungi. As Elizabethtown is only a few hours away from a defunct Campbell’s Soup mushroom growth facility, she hopes to purchase some low-cost mycology supplies to get started. Mushroom Cat recently started a Kickstarter to crowdsource funding. If you’d like to help her achieve her dream and follow along for project updates, check out the link on her TikTok account. As well, if you have an anthropomorphic friend you’d like to see interviewed in our next edition of the Etownian, reach out to our staff email, featureseditor@etown.edu.
